Bronchiectasis in teachers & health care workers

Thank you for your comments and research @sueinmn You are so knowledgeable and generous with this group.

I would hope more awareness would be passed on to family doctors, especially with post Covid infections causing issues for some with lung infection and inflammation.

I hope more research is done to delve into whether untreated viral or fungal infection in the lungs might cause Bronchiectasis. I know Bronchiectasis is often discovered with other lung disease, chronic infections or NTM. Some of us though don’t have NTM (at least not yet) or other chronic illness.

We might have had lingering infections that were not treated timely and / or with the necessary antibiotics.

That one to two year period of infections, recurring symptoms, lack of airway clearance creates more than just tree in bud opacities on X-rays or CT scans.

This is anecdotal, however I heard a cardiologist recently mention that Bronchiectasis is fairly common in the teaching and medical health professions. It was this person’s observation that those working in Healthcare and teaching are exposed to lots of viruses over a career. I wonder if other cardiologists make similar observations?

Based on this specialist’s comments, I think he was referring to people who have some tree in bud opacities, noted by a radiologist, but perhaps not producing symptoms.

Perhaps researchers might be interested in the topic of untreated infection that may cause symptomatic disease and study it further.

I’m already seeing some scholarly articles from medical journals that are looking at untreated infections, with some concluding that these infections can cause Bronchiectasis.

I’ve read there will be more research. Perhaps AI will help wade through the symptoms, demographics, risk factors for disease and progression, and existing data from researchers and discover more to help educate practitioners. With luck, more research can prevent others from developing this chronic condition.

Please, please don't panic! We're here to provide encouragement, share experiences and send virtual hugs. Each of us will admit to fear, panic, confusion in the early days after diagnosis. But we eventually learn what works for us and how to live with our "new normal", and many of us are leaning on 5-20 years of experience and still here. I am typing one fingered with my dominant arm in a sling, so I can't give you my usual links. But if you search in the search ox above for ABC's of MAC and Bronchiectasis" and "MAC is defferent for everyone " you'll find some basic info.

Also, we rely on daily airway clearance as one of the basics in managing Bronchiectasis long term. Have you learned about it yet?

Just going to play devil's advocate here for a minute...aside from the current issue of insurance coverage for additional tests, MOST patients want an "instant answer" - as in, I walk out with a prescription in my hand. They do not want to hear "we'll send in this sample and call you in a week."

So, most doctors do just that. Even today, I am often appalled when antibiotics are demanded and given for what are clearly viral illnesses, even without seeing the patient. Recently, we did a culture and "watch and wait" with my grandson for a week before his Mom and I were convinced he needed antibiotic.

This past year, I had 3 staph (not MRSA) infections in wounds. After the first course of antibiotics each time. I insisted on a culture - two out of 3 times, a different med was prescribed that cured the infection. Each doc pushed back, saying X was the drug of choice, broad-spectrum, just needed more time... I stood my ground and got what I needed.

But I suppose if it works "most of the time" there is little reason to change their practice.
That's why we patients need to be informed consumers of health care.

This is a great discussion